


BOMBS Part One

by orphan_account



Series: BOMBS [1]
Category: JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, So much angst, Violent, cursing, implied sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 11:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4918081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack thought that it would be a simple mission. He wasn't wrong, just what came after it was anything but simple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyo! I have reuploaded this from my tumblr pencilsforjse.tumblr.com  
> Enjoy!

The air was thick and heavy with humidity, weighing down on him like molasses. Pushing his way through the branches of the forest, Jack stepped warily; this part of the forest was notorious for it's bear traps. At least, that's what Shao Ai had told him, because Jack had not seen a single one yet. Jack ram a hand through his sweatdamp hair as the trees began to thin. He'd be at his destination soon.

Through the trees, Jack could see a clearing, as he'd expected. A small shack stood in the center of it, guarded by two men at the door. There would be another man inside, Jack knew, along with the target. Staying far back from the edge of the trees, Jack moved into the two guards' blind spot and began to wait.

Glancing down at his watch every few minutes, the time crawled until noon. Jack approached the shack, keeping low in the shrubs until both guards had turned away from him. He snuck up behind the closer of the two and wrapped an arm around his neck, clamping his hand down over his mouth and nose. Quickly pulling his pistol from his waistband, Jack brought it down hard on the guard's head, stunning, if not killing, him. Jack grabbed the other man, who, before he knew what hit him, suffered a similar fate.

Jack checked his gun, whipping the blood off on his pants, and stepped to the door. He pressed an ear to the wood and listened. He could hear harsh breaths being taken and a low, chuckling voice.

With a deep breath, Jack pushed open the door and aimed his gun. A tall man in a blood stained white suit stood holding a knife taken from an assortment of nasty looking instruments on a metal table. A dark haired man sat, tied to a chair. Blood trickled from a cut of blow to his head, his clothes were dirty, bloodstained and caked in dirt and god knows what else.

Jack took all this in in a mere moment before he pulled the trigger. The man in the white suit crumpled to the ground, a bullet in the center of his forehead. Jack acted immediately, rushing to the tied up man. The dark haired man sat in stunned silence, staring wide-eyed at the dead man. Jack slapped the man's cheek gently, asking questions as he began uniting the ropes.

"Are you okay? He was torturing you, right? Do you think you can walk?"

The dark haired man blinked and nodded, slowly.

"Alright then," Jack said, casting away the untied ropes. He offered the man a hand and pulled him to his feet. "C'mon, we have to get outta here."

Jack pulled the dazed man out of the shack and quickly knelt to check the two guards' pulse. One was dead, but the other was still breathing softly. Jack put his gun to the guard's head.

"Look away," he ordered the other man, who obliged, turning his head.

Jack pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang through the forest. Jack rose from beside the now dead guard and, grabbing the other man's arm, Jack began to run.

The two men ran through the forest, Jack leading the way, avoiding the possibly-existent bear traps and fallen branches.

"Where are we going?" the dark haired man asked, his voice raspy and deep. It was the first thing Jack had heard the man say.

"A helicopter is coming to pick us up," Jack explained. "There's another clearing about a mile away. It'll take us to a Citizen's Initiative base."

The other man nodded. "What's your name?"

Jack paused, not answering. The poor guy hadn't had a real conversation in... Jack didn't want to know how long.

"Jack."

"I'm," the man panted a bit. "Mark. I'm Mark."

Jack slowed his pace, letting go of Mark. Now walking, Jack realized Mark was limping slightly. He pulled out a metal water bottle and handed it to Mark, who eagerly gulped it down. Jack wondered how long it had been since Mark had drank anything. In his briefing for the mission, Shao Ai reminded him to avoid talking about anything that might trigger a panic attack or any PTSD symptom. After what Mark had been through, Jack didn't want to press his luck asking.

Jack's disposable phone, a luxury only used on missions, began to ring. Jack pulled it out and answered.

"Shao Ai," he greeted her.

"Where the fuck are you?" Shao Ai yelled. "We're just sitting here!" She grunted and continued in a softer tone. "Just get your ass over here."

Mark looked quizzically at Jack.

"Okay, okay, we're coming." Jack hung up. "We gotta keep going."

Mark nodded and the two of them set off again. It was only a matter of minutes until they reached the clearing. A helicopter sat in the middle of the tall grass, blades spinning slowly. The two men went to the chopper where Shao Ai poked her head out and yelled a quick "get in, assholes!" before pulling Mark in. Jack jumped in after and settled into his seat, pulling on the earmuffs to muffle the roaring of the blades. He handed a pair to Mark, who gave Jack a grateful smile.

Jack hated heights. Just looking out of the window of the chopper was enough to make him feel sick. He focused on the cabin instead, devoid of voices, but filled with thundering as they chopper flew. He looked over at Shao Ai; if she needed to tell him anything, she would, so Jack kept silent.

Shao Ai had taught Jack so much since they met, the most important one being how to keep quiet. She would often joke about that being her greatest accomplishment.

The ride was about an hour long. As the helicopter approached the base, Jack stole a quick glance out of the window. He could see the nearby Portcity skyline rising up at the horizon in a cloud of back smoke.

In the years since the Conflict started, an influx of people had moved to the city. There was more food, water there, necessities were reliably available. Many small towns and suburban areas had been completely abandoned as two or more families got crammed into a two bedroom apartment. Somehow, Jack felt lucky that Shao Ai recruited him. At the base, everyone had their own bed, no one slept in corners or with only their coats as blankets.

The helicopter descended and Mark stared out at the entrance to the base. Only the top floor stood above ground, heavily armed and protected. Jack wasn't sure how many floors lay beneath the earth, but he knew it went down deep. The helicopter landed, and Shao Ai motioned for Jack and Mark to follow her. She jumped out of the helicopter; CI issued black coat billowing behind her. She landed gracefully and Jack smiled. Shao Ai had been his friend since she was nineteen and he was sixteen, since she recruited him for the CI, and since then, he'd had a childish crush on her. He did his best to suppress it.

Jack helped Mark out of the chopper and led him away from the roar of the helicopters and in through the heavy metal doors into the base. Cool air greeted Jack as he entered the florescent-lit entry hall. It was mostly empty, the few people there sitting on benches. Mark let bout a shuddering breath and began to cry. Jack glanced over at the other man and dragged him towards the elevator where Shao Ai was waiting. She looked at the sobbing, snot nosed man with an alarmed glance.

"Take him to your room, get him some food," she said. "Bring him to the clinic in an hour."

Jack nodded as Shao Ai walked towards the communications area, where a few mailboxes lined the wall. Jack pulled the still sobbing Mark into the elevator. Unsure what to do, Jack slung an arm around Mark's shoulders.

"Hey, hey there. It's okay," Jack said, awkwardly.

Mark let out a wail and hugged Jack, staining his shirt with tears. Wide eyed and surprised, Jack patted the dark haired man on the back.

"It's alright," Jack said as the elevator doors slid open. "Please stop crying."

The dorm floor was a maze of dimly lit corridors, fresh air tunneled down from the surface. Jack inhaled the familiar scent and felt at home.

Pushing Mark, who was still sniffling, off of him, he led the way through the twisting halls until they reached Jack's room. Stepping inside, Jack let a wave of relaxation roll over him. There were the two bunks, the dresser, the bare desk. Home, Jack thought. Despite the four beds, Jack stayed in the room by himself. He'd shared it for several years, but all his roommates had transferred to the West base a few months ago.

"Here," Jack said, sitting Mark down on his bed, the only one with bedclothes on it. "Do you need anything? Food, water?"

"Yeah," Mark nodded, "Sorry," he said, wiping his eyes.

"It's okay! After what ya been through and all," Jack said. There was a pause before Jack said, "I'll go get you some food before we go up to the clinic."

"Okay," Mark nodded.

Jack got up and went to the door. Before stepping out he turned and said, "I'm just going up one floor. I'll be back in ten minutes, okay?"

Mark nodded again, seemingly still in shock from his ordeal. Jack had done several other missions wherein he rescued torture victims. Most of them had been rather important. As he closed the door behind him, Jack wondered how important Mark was.

Jack made his way through the maze and got into the elevator. There was someone getting out, Aaron, who slept in the room next door and was somewhat of a friend. Jack stopped him.

"Hey, can you check in on the guy in my room if you can?"

Aaron stared at Jack in confusion for a second, then shrugged. "Okay, whatever you say, man."

"Thanks," Jack said, getting into the elevator.

The elevator rumbled upwards and Jack stepped into the hall between the canteen and the clinic. Jack stepped into the canteen, which was bustling with people, even if it was early for dinner. Jack grabbed two sandwiches, a bottle of water, and an apple. He paid and left, joining the small crowd waiting for the elevator. There was always the option of taking the stairs, but Jack was tired and didn't want to walk back through the canteen to reach them. The elevator doors slid open and Jack went in.

Jack walked briskly back to his room, but Aaron poked his head out of his own room before Jack could enter.

"He's just... zoned out. You're taking him to the clinic, right?"

"Yeah. He's a torture vic, by the way."

"Ah. Makes sense. Did you pick him up on a mission?"

"He was the mission."

Aaron nodded and receded back into his room. Jack stepped into his own, seeing that Mark hadn't moved. He looked over at Jack when he entered.

Jack handed Mark a sandwich and sat down on the bunk across from him, unwrapping his sandwich.

"Thanks," Mark said, taking a bite. His eyes lit up and he practically inhaled the food. Jack handed him the apple with a chuckle.

"I guess you haven't eaten lately," Jack asked jokingly.

As the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake. Mark looked away, not eating the apple.

"S-sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Jack paused. "When you're done, we should go to the clinic, okay?"

Mark nodded.

They finished eating and Jack stood, tossing the trash into the wastebasket.

"C'mon," Jack said, helping Mark up. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!  
> Sorry if there's any formatting issues, I'm copy pasting this from my tumblr pencilsforjse.tumblr.com

Shao Ai gave Jack a glare as he led Mark into the clinic.

            “You’re late.”

            “Only just!” Jack retorted.

            “Here,” Shao Ai said, grabbing Mark’s arm. He flinched at her touch and pulled his arm from her grasp.

            Jack gave Shao Ai a _leave it be_ look. She rolled her eyes and pulled open a curtained barrier. One of the clinic doctors, who had been patiently standing next to Shao Ai stepped forward.

            “You can come in alone, if you’d like,” the doctor said to Mark. “We can ask Mr. McLoughlin some questions later.” Mark glanced at Jack.

            “D’ya want me in there with ya?” Jack asked.

            “Y-yeah.”

            “Okay,” Jack said with an approving nod.

            Mark sat down on the metal examination table, the florescent lights harshening the bloodstains on his clothes and face. The doctor aimed the first of his questions at Jack; was he in better or worse condition when you found him, did you see him cough up blood, did he have any complications before coming to the clinic, to which Jack replied accordingly. Then the doctor moved to question Mark, dabbing at Mark’s forehead with a cotton swab.

            “Name?”

            “Mark.”

            “ _Full_ name.”

            “Mark Fischbach.”

            “Age?”

            “Twenty six.”

            “How long were you… held captive?”

            Jack watched Mark carefully, worried he might… shut down, have a flashback or something. All Mark did was avert his eyes.

            “I don’t remember. Over a week, I think. Two.”

            _Oh god,_ Jack thought, _two weeks._

            The doctor stuck a large bandage on Mark’s head, and moved to examine his arms and hands. Mark’s fingers were mostly intact, bruised but not broken, Jack noticed with relief. Breaking fingers was a common torture; Jack knew people with fingers healed all wrong, unable to use them. All up and down Mark’s arms were thin nicks and cuts. Most were scabbed over, but one or two of them looked slightly infected.

            “I presume these injuries were sustained earliest?” The doctor asked. Mark nodded. The doctor motioned for Jack to come over. “Help me wrap these.”

            As the doctor disinfected each cut, Jack wrapped a bandage around it, soon covering Mark’s forearms. Mark kept his eyes averted from Jack’s, not making eye contact. When Jack was finished, he moved back to standing in the corner, and the doctor ordered Mark to strip.

            Mark was beginning to take off his shirt when the doctor suggested Jack leave.

            “No!” Mark’s half shout silenced the doctor. Eyebrows raised, Jack stayed put. “There’s…” Mark gestured to the scissors and other instruments kept on a rolling metal tray. Jack understood. This was a lot like where Jack had found him.

            Mark pulled off his shirt to reveal a network of bruises and cuts on his back, like someone… someone had whipped him. Jack’s breath hitched as he took off his pants, bloodstained from a deep gash in his thigh.

            “You _ran on that?_ ” Jack asked, stunned.

            “You should have come in right away,” the doctor scolded, and called in a nurse. To keep his eyes off of the sickening injuries, Jack paid close attention to what tools were being used and what Mark’s reaction was to each of them. Jack didn’t want to deal with tears again, or worse.

            In about ten minutes, Mark was bandaged and dressed. The nurse left and the doctor gave Mark a small bottle of pain pills and sent them out of the curtained cubicle.

            Shao Ai stood when Jack and Mark came out, and took a few brisk steps over to address Jack.

            “Keep him with you tonight. I have a lot of work to do tonight but I want you to bring him to my office at 0900 hours tomorrow.”

            “Sure,” Jack said, giving her a quick hug before waving goodbye.

 

            “You can take my bed,” Jack said. “Since it’s made an’ all. I’ll grab another set of sheets. And here,” Jack gave Mark a clean set of clothes. “You can change into these in a sec… and here, drink some more.”

            Mark took the water and gulped down a third of it.

            “Okay…” Jack continued. Bathrooms are two doors down on the right. There’s a sign, actually. You can change there and then get some sleep.”

            Mark nodded and left the room. As the door shut, Jack let out a huge sigh and flopped down on the unmade bed. In all his time working for the CI, he’d never had to _babysit_ someone. It wasn’t fun, not in the least. It was awkward and worrying, he could barely keep up with what he needed to give Mark. He offhandedly suspected Shao Ai put him up to it. For what reason, though, Jack couldn’t think of any one offense that could have brought this upon himself.

            The door swung open again.

            “Speak of the devil,” Jack let out a laugh as Shao Ai stepped into the room. She rolled her eyes and sat down next to Jack.

            “I’d put him in another room, but I trust you to keep an eye on him. And he seems to trust you.” There was a seriousness in her voice that told Jack he wasn’t babysitting just _anyone_.

            “Who is he, anyways?”

            Shao Ai picked her words carefully, trying not to say too much. “He’s a weapons engineer. He was leading work on plans for… something big, something we could use to win the conflict.”

            “Did he tell how to build it?”

            “That’s what we need to find out tomorrow.”

            The door opened again and Mark stepped in, wearing Jack’s sweatpants and a shirt that was too big for Jack but fit the other man well. Shao Ai stood.

            “Bye!” She left quickly, long hair swinging as he went.

            Mark watched her leave before stepping deeper into the room. Jack now took the time to study the other man. He was roughly the same height as Jack, fluffy haired, handsome. Quite handsome, Jack remarked.

            “Um… I’m gonna go to sleep.”

            “Oh, of course!” Jack stood up and went to the dresser, pulling out a spare sheet. He quickly put it on the sheet on the other bottom bunk and took the spare blanket from his own bed, where Mark would sleep. As Mark lay down, Jack switched out the lights. In the dim red of the emergency lights, impossible to turn off, changed stiffly, feeling eyes on his back.

            Jack went to the bathroom, and when he returned, Mark’s eyes were closed, his breathing soft and steady. Jack smiled at his light snores as he lay down in bed. He fell asleep almost instantly.

 

_The field lay before him, stretching out as far as the eye could see. The tall golden wheat swayed in the light breeze. Behind him was the forest, as it had always been, dark and tantalizing. Jack began to walk, moving noiselessly through the waist high wheat. The sky was cloudless, pure blue. Birds glided through the air, peacefully flapping their wings._

Home _, Jack thought, feeling uneasy._

_A high pitched scream cut through the silence._

Mom?

_“Mom!” Pushing the wheat aside and underfoot, Jack ran towards the horizon, where the house should be._

_Another scream pierced the calm atmosphere._

_“Dad?”_

_Jack faltered and tripped over his own feet, landing face down on the ground. He lay there for a moment, face to the earth, before he pushed himself to his feet. The sky had darkened, thunderclouds blocking out the sun. Thunder boomed and—_

Real scream awoke Jack. His first though was that Mark had been the one to scream, so Jack looked over at the man in the bunk opposite.

Wide, dark eyes stared back. “Dude, you screamed.”

“Fuck.” Jack swung his legs off the bed and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom,” he murmured.

Jack stepped into the hall and plodded slowly, dazed, to the bathroom. He cringed at the cold tiles on his bare feet when he entered the bathroom. He stood at a sink, forehead pressed against the mirror, taking deep breaths. That dream… Jack had had it before, the field and forest in front of his house, the clear blue skies, the screams he heard as his parents were killed… Jack shuddered.

He turned the water on and splashed some onto his face. He turned it off and dried his face with his shirt. With one last shaky breath, Jack left the bathroom.

Mark was waiting when he got back. Jack didn’t look at the other man. “Sorry I woke you up,” Jack apologized, climbing back into bed.

Jack kept his face to the wall, eyes screwed shut in an attempt to feign sleep. He swore he could feel Mark watching him. Eventually, Jack heard him shift the blankets and Jack opened his eyes a crack. He didn’t want to fall asleep again; he didn’t want to hear his parent’s screams again. But being home gave Jack a peaceful feeling, safe, secure. Being awake warped those feelings into a heavy homesick one. Jack pulled his knees up to his chest and squeezed himself into a tight ball until he drifted into a light, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet again, sorry for any formatting issues.

Jack woke to the groan of the metal bedframe as Mark got out of bed. Jack rolled over and blinked bleary eyed at the other man. Jack shoved himself out from the blankets and stretched.

            “Mornin’,” Jack said. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”

            “Can I take one too?”

            “Sure, if you think you can with all those…” Jack vaguely motioned at Mark. _Injuries that will hurt like hell if you get soap in them_ , Jack thought.

            “I’ll be okay. Some of the bandages could go with a change.”

            Jack nodded. “Just… follow me, ‘kay? There’s stalls, don’t worry.”

            Jack pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed two towels from his shelf and tossed one to Mark. He motioned for the other man to follow him.

            The door next to the bathroom led into the showers. A small antechamber stood in front of a room lined with stalls, white curtains hanging in front of each of them. Two stalls were taken, and the room was steamy and humid. Jack stepped into one of the open stalls, pulling the curtain closed behind him. After stripping, Jack turned on the shower, waiting for the water to reach anything above freezing temperatures.

            Stepping under the warm water, Jack felt himself relax. He let his mind go blank, washing himself in a trance like state. Nothing could bother him, not his dream from last night, not Mark in the next stall, not the conflict. Sweat and dirt from yesterday’s mission washed off of him, swirling at his feet before disappearing down the drain.

After rinsing all the soap off him, Jack turned off the shower and toweled himself dry. He slipped into his pants again and hung his towel around his neck. He picked up his shirt and pushed open the curtain. Looking around, Jack saw that he and Mark were the only ones there.

“I’m just gonna wait—”

“Shit!” Mark let out a strangled shriek.

“What?!” Jack ran to Mark’s stall, but stayed at the curtain. “Are you okay?”

“I just got soap in a cut. I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Y-yeah! You can go.”

“Okay…”

Jack stepped away from the curtain, heart racing. In certain respects, Mark was still a mission; he needed to be kept safe, returned whole. In other ways, Jack felt that Mark trusted him on a different level than just as someone who was doing his job, and Jack felt that he owed it to the other man to keep protecting him. Jack sat down on a bench in the antechamber, knee bouncing. He put on his shirt, studied the tile floor, and wasted time until Mark got out of the shower.

Eventually, Mark came out, dark hair plastered to his forehead, where he’d removed the plaster.

“Oh, Jack, you’re still here.” Mark stated upon seeing Jack. “I need to go back to the clinic. All of the bandages need to be rewrapped.”

Jack nodded, standing. “Let’s get you all fixed up, okay?”

 

After a quick pit-stop at Jack’s room for shoes, they headed to the elevator to go to the clinic. Jack sat Mark down on an open table and began rummaging around for bandages and cream. The clinic doctors didn’t mind people taking supplies too much, but you had to sign for what you used before you left. Jack turned, triumphant, from a metal cupboard with a roll of bandages and anti-infective ointment.

“So, your head, back, arms…?” Jack asked, removing the damp bandages from Mark’s arms.

“My leg, too.” Mark reminded him.

Jack nodded as he rubbed the cream onto the unhealed cuts. “I can just stick a plaster on some of these,” he said, reaching for the box of band-aids. He stuck them on Mark’s arms, then turned his attention to Mark’s head. He inspected the cut before putting a much larger plaster on it.

“Okay, shirt off,” Jack ordered.

“Ooh, so commanding,” Mark joked. Jack felt himself blushing at Mark’s joke. He made a show of scowling as Mark took off his borrowed shirt.

Jack grimaced as he unwrapped the bandages wrapped around Mark’s torso, the red lashes looking inflamed. Anger rose in Jack’s throat. Who could _do_ that to someone? What information was important enough to do so? Jack practically used the entire tube of anti-infective cream on Mark’s back, who flinched at the stings. Jack finally wrapped bandages around Mark’s chest. Jack handed Mark his shirt before asking him to take off his pants.

Mark obliged, pulling down his pants and letting them hang around his ankles. Jack suppressed all embarrassing thoughts as he inspected the wound on Mark’s thigh. The stitches, despite being horrible, ugly things, didn’t seem to be inflamed.

When Jack was done sticking a large square of thick gauze over the wound, Mark’s stomach growled embarrassingly loud.

“Er…” Mark said. “Breakfast?”

“Yeah. There, I’m done.” Jack stood, mock dusting off his hands.

            Across the hall in the canteen, they stood in line, waiting to grab room temperature oatmeal or sorry looking pancakes.

            “Don’t even _think_ about the eggs,” Jack warned.

            Jack paid for their food and they sat together at an empty table near the edge of the room. Before they could begin eating, two more people plopped down next to them.

            “Hey, Aaron, Felix,” Jack greeted his friends.

            “Hey! Mark, right?” Aaron asked Mark.

            “Yeah. I remember you…”

            “I’m Aaron.” He extended a hand for Mark to shake. “And this is Felix.”

            Felix waved, his mouth full of food. He swallowed and launched into conversation. It was normal, so very normal for Jack to find himself seated there, eating and talking. Time seemed to fly by until Jack caught sight of the clock mounted on the canteen wall.

            “Shit! Shao Ai’s gonna have my ass if we’re late.” Jacks stood. “Bye!”

            “G’bye, bros!”

            “Nice to meet you, Mark!”

            They left the canteen just as the elevator was arriving. Jack stepped in and pressed the button. The elevator took them down deeper thank the dorm floors, the gym, the main offices. The doors slid open again, and released the awkward silence into the dark corridor. There was only one light in the hall, at the very end, giving it an eerie atmosphere.

            “Creepy,” Mark noted.

            “Shao Ai’s is the only office on this floor, so they cut most of the power lines to save on energy,” Jack explained, leading the way down the hall. He tapped his knuckles on Shao Ai’s door twice and pushed it open. Shao Ai sat, asleep, a pen in her hand and her head on her palm, at her desk. Jack tapped her shoulder.

            “Wake up, sleepyhead,” he said in a singsong voice.

            Shao Ai jerked awake, blinking at the two men before waving for them to sit. As they did, the lights flickered.

            “I don’t see why they don’t put you on another floor,” Jack said.

            “I don’t either but that’s not the problem at hand.” Shao Ai looked at Mark. “ _You_ are.”

            Mark squirmed under her gaze, shifting uncomfortably.

            “How much did you tell them?” Shao Ai asked curtly.

            “I…” Mark trailed off before he could even start. Jack reached over and put o comforting hand on Mark’s shoulder. “I told them a lot.”

            Shao Ai bit her lip. “What exactly…?”

            “I got up to the measurements of the shell. There’s nothing they can’t figure out on their own, no matter how incompetent their engineers are.”

            Shao Ai paled, still chewing on her lip. It was a tick, a thing she did when she was nervous— which wasn’t often.

            “The man had relayed everything before Jack saved me.”

            _‘Saved me’ makes it sound like I’m some kind of hero_ , Jack thought. _I was just doing my job._

            “Are you sure?”

            “Positive.”

            Jack removed his hand from the other man’s shoulder. Mark stared at his feet the whole time, as if he was trying to decipher the deeper meaning of his shoes.

            Shao Ai scribbled something down on a scrap of paper. She placed down her pen and stood up. Jack and Mark followed suit.

            “Well, thank you for telling us. Before you go, I have to tell you, there’s two men who want to see you. They should be on the first floor.”

            Mark’s eyes lit up. “Thanks!”

            Shao Ai made an exasperated ‘leave’ hand motion and slumped back into her chair. Mark and Jack left the room, stepping back into the dark hall.

            They stepped into the elevator and pressed ‘one’. As it began to move, Mark let out an airy laugh.

            “What?” Jack asked.

            “I was just thinking how funny it would be if there was horrible elevator music in here.”

            Jack snorted. “City kid, eh?”

            Mark nodded. “You’re not? I thought most CI recruits were.”

            “Nah. I grew up on a farm in ‘ta middle of nowhere.” Jack said, his voice quieting at the memory of his dream last night.

            They finally got off the elevator and were greeting someone’s shout of ‘Mark!’ Two men, both, unfortunately, taller than Jack and Mark, came running towards them.

            “Bob! Wade!” Mark slung an arm around both of the other men and pulled them into a hug. “Man, I missed you!”

            Bob gave Mark a worried once over. “They really messed you up.”

            Mark nodded solemnly, and quickly moved to introducing Jack.

            “This is Jack, the guy who saved me.”

            There was the ‘saved’ remark again.

            “Thank you!” One of the men— Wade?— smiled at Jack. “I don’t know what would have happened…”

“I was only doing my job,” Jack said, rubbing his neck.

Mark looked over at Jack, “Hey, maybe we could get them some food, if you’re hun—” Mark was cut off by a screeching alarm.

“Shit!” Jack yelled. An air raid? It couldn’t be a drill. People began to run towards the doors. “We’re under attack!”

Most of the people were running to the main doors. It was too crowded to get out quick enough. Looking around the chaos, Jack remembered the loading doors.

“Follow me,” Jack waved for them to follow him. Mark grabbed Jack’s hand as they sprinted, pushing through currents of people towards the door.

Before they reached the door, and explosion shook the ground. A bomb had been dropped a few hundred meters from the main entrance. Jack stumbled, pulling Mark closer to him. Mark glanced back at his friends, who followed closely. Jack saw that several people had followed him out of the side entrance. They were at the door. As they ran out into fresh air, another blast sent the earth quivering.

Jack ran across the small expanse of open ground into the rocky forest. Pushing branches aside, he made his way deeper into the trees. He squeezed Mark’s hand and looked back just in time to the entire first floor razed by several bombs.

The explosion threw him to the earth, ears ringing from the blast. He screwed his eyes closed, solely aware of his heartbeat. Jack kept still for several seconds before his eyes flew open. He sat up, looking around. Mark’s friends seemed to be okay, as well as the many other people who had followed into the trees. Jack looked down at Mark, who’s hand was still in Jack’s. His eyes were open.

“You okay?” Jack asked, pulling Mark up.

“Yeah, I think so.” Mark turned to look at the base.

All that remained was rubble. Another bomb detonated close at hand, thundering through the forest. Jack and Mark pulled each other into a protective embrace. They remained that way for about a minute before Jack pulled away, a horrible thought creeping into his mind.

“They’re all stuck.” Jack murmured. “There might be enough air, but there’s no way for them to get out.”

Mark put his hands on Jack’s upper arms and squeezed as tears began rolling down Jack’s cheeks.

“Sh-Shao Ai is stuck down there… Aaron, Felix,” Jack choked back a sob. “They’re all trapped, if they aren’t _dead_.”

Jack collapsed, sobbing into Mark’s shoulder, balling Mark’s shirt into his fists and wailing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like this chapter but it's fine.  
> Again, issues with formatting b/c this is copy pasted from my tumblr (and I'm lazy as fuck)

Even after he stopped crying, Jack kept his head buried in Mark’s shoulder, face in the crook of the other man’s neck. Everyone was still, waiting for the bombers to get a considerable distance away. With Mark’s arms protectively wrapped around his back, Jack sorted out a plan.

            One of the helicopters must have been spared from the carnage of the bombs. If he could get as many people onto it as possible, they could go to the South Base and get more people to come back and help with the survivors. All he needed was _one_ chopper, something _must_ have survived. Jack ran over the plan several times in his head, each time with a different outcome. So much could go wrong, so little could go right.

            Jack pulled away from Mark. “I have a plan.”

            Jack relied his thoughts to Mark, who nodded along, focused on what was needed. At the end of it, both men stood up. It had been half an hour since the last bomb was heard. Jack assumed they were safe, for now, at least. There were roughly twenty people in Jack view, the one that followed him out of the supply door. There were more closer to the base, injured, probably, Jack knew.

            “Everyone!” Jack yelled to the people. “We have to look for an undamaged helicopter so we can get to the South Base!”

People nodded, standing up or moving towards the remnants of the base. Mark stayed back, helping his friends up, as Jack jogged off to lead the search for a helicopter, survivors, anything.

When Jack emerged from the trees, he could fully see the destruction that had been wrought of the base. Camouflaged as a hill, there was no way for the bombers to have seen it… unless someone tipped them off. Jack pushed the thought out of his mind and rushed to a large, twisted hunk of metal.  A girl, maybe twenty years old, lay crushed, eyes closed and with no pulse. Jack recognized her; she worked at the canteen.

Leaving the girl’s side, Jack scrambled over crumbling stone and concrete, twisted metal and bloodstained earth, looking for survivors. He had no luck in finding any, every body was mangled or twisted.

“Jack!” Someone shouted. “There’s a chopper!”

Jack ran towards the shouter, a girl he’d trained with in his early years at the CI. She stood next to a small transport helicopter, shielded from the blast by a huge boulder.

“So _this_ is where they go…” Jack let out a half hearted laugh. Very few people knew where the choppers were. “How many people can we fit in this?”

“Seven, plus a pilot.”

Jack only then realized the glaring fault in his plan. He couldn’t fly. Would the chopper even be usable? There could be damage internally that could make it lethal to get into! Jack felt a hand on his shoulder. Mark stood in almost uncomfortable proximity to Jack, but the comforting touch brushed away some of the worry. An idea struck him.

“Mark! You understand how these things work, right? Can you give her a once over? Make sure she’s fit to fly?”

Mark nodded, eyes already scanning the supposedly air-worthy vehicle. “Wade! Come help me!”

Wade jogged over to his friend and pulled out a small case from his pocket. “You’ll need these. I was gonna give them to you earlier, but…”

Mark’s eyes widened. “Thanks!” He opened the case and pulled out a pair of glasses. He put them on with a content sigh.

The glasses complemented Mark’s face, Jack thought with a smile. _Not the time to be thinking about that!_

As Mark and Wade began looking over the helicopter, spouting technical words that might’ve been in a different language, Jack sat down on a rock and held his head in his hands. He should be helping the others, but he’d seen enough. The stairs, the easiest way out, was covered by a pile of rubble, many pieces of which were too heavy to move. The elevator shaft had collapsed in on itself. There wasn’t a way out. Jack sensed someone sit down next to him. The someone was Bob, who kept his eyes on his friends as he began to speak.

“You’n Mark have a pretty intimate relationship for only knowing each other for a day.”

Jack felt his face redden with a deep blush. “W-we’ve been through a lot,” Jack stumbled over the words to piece together an explanation. “And he cried first!”

Bob shrugged. “He likes you, I can tell.”

Jack didn’t look at the man next to him. Despite his retaliation, Jack _did_ like Mark. It wasn’t as deep a like as what he had for Shao Ai, which was a longing and painful thing, but he couldn’t deny that he felt safe with the other man, as his they’d known each other for years. Nor could he deny that he’d like to run a hand along Mark’s jawline, hold his hand even when the weren’t running away from something, run a hand through his dark hair as he groaned Mark’s name— enough with _that_ thought. Jack shook his head as if to force the idea from his brain.

“If it helps any, I can fly,” Bob offered after the silence.

Jack perked up. “Really? Yes! Oh, thank god!” Jack put his hands together in faux prayer.

“Everything seems to be okay!” Mark called out. “This thing should fly!”

Jack fought the urge to hug the dark haired man.

 

Eight people could fit on the helicopter. Bob was, of course, pilot and needed to be on it. Wade, Mark, Jack, the girl Jack trained with, who, _for the love of god_ , he could not remember the name of, and three others got on. Jack promised the remaining people that they’d be back before sunset. Jack also instructed them to make a list of casualties to the extent that was possible. He felt reluctant to leave without everyone safe, but all too soon, he was boarding the chopper. Wade sat in front with Bob to navigate, going off coordinates Jack had given him. The remaining six sat squished in the small hold.

Jack found himself in a corner, eyes straining against the darkness. There were no lights or windows in the hold, Jack assumed because it was a cargo helicopter. Someone sat next to him, legs and shoulders resting against each other.

“Jack?” Mark said softly as the propellers began to chop the air.

“I’m here,” Jack said, wrapping an arm around the other man.

The deafening roar drowned out anything else Mark said. No one spoke. Time passed slowly at first, them ceased to exist. All Jack could sense was the thundering of the blades and Mark next to him, unchanging constants in the pitch darkness. Everything but those two facts fled from Jack’s mind and world. If he was asked, he probably wouldn’t be able to give his own name.

Eventually, the helicopter landed and someone opened the door. Light from the red sunset streamed into the hold, seemingly blinding. Jack pulled his arm out from behind Mark and stepped out of the chopper onto the helicopter pad on the roof of the South base.

“Shit.” Jack said they’d be back to the East base by now.

A tall man in a dark suit walked over to him. “Jack McLoughlin, I assume?”

Jack nodded, sticking out a hand.

            “I’m Shao Yun, Shao Ai’s brother. Is she in there?” The suited man looked into the hold.

            “No, she’s not. She… she was trapped in by the rubble. But she shouldn’t have been near the first few floors, so she should be safe.”

            Shao Yun’s expression did not waver. “Thank you. What were the casualties like?”

            Jack glanced over his shoulder at everyone else getting out of the helicopter as they walked towards a door into the building.

            “The first floor was destroyed. I estimate twenty people got out, thirty died. There might be casualties on the second floor and in the elevator. The stairways were blocked off and the elevator shaft collapsed in on itself.” Jack spoke in a somewhat hushed tone. “We couldn’t get anyone out.”

            Shao Yun nodded gravely. “I’ll send a team down within the hour.”

            “Let me go!”

            “No, McLoughlin.” Shao Yun stopped at the door. “You’ve done enough already. Get some food and rest. We’ll send you on the morning run.” He stepped inside, leaving Jack waiting for everyone else to catch up. Shao Yun was just as cold as his sister, but much less fun.

            Mark walked over to him. “All good?”

            “Yeah,” Jack said. They stepped inside, followed by the others from the East base, and were greeted by cold air and a slight smell of machine oil. Jack had only been to the South base once before. It was when he was still a kid, a few days after he’d befriended Shao Ai. She’d decided to take him to the base to recruit him. They’d walked for a good three hours to get from the heart of the city to the edge of it. Someone had helped him fill out the paperwork, and, barely realizing it, joined both the government and the Citizen’s Initiative.

            The Conflict started when a wealthy and influential family—no, _clan_ , gained control over the military. Their initial goal was to take over the rest of the government and country, and that’s when the CI stepped in, taking the role of an army, sometimes helping the police forces as well. Shao Ai’s family, from what Jack could tell, was a deserter military family with many members already serving in high ranks. Because they knew so much about the military, most of them quickly rose to powerful ranks in the CI. Shao Ai herself was rather new to the job when she found Jack.

            Shao Yun led them to the canteen and waved for someone to bring them food.

            “This meal’s on us.” He flashed a professional smile as a few servers brought them plates of stew and steamed vegetables. _All from a can,_ Jack thought _, but this is the city, after all,_ and began to eat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno when I'll be able to upload again. I have a lot of homework this weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The formatting in this is, for once, not fucked up.

Shao Yun approached Jack as they were finishing dinner. Or at least it _looked_ like Shao Yun was approaching him, because he began to talk to Mark, Bob, and Wade, who sat next to him.

“Gentlemen,” Shao Yun said, crossing his arms. “From a memo I just recived, we now know that some _information_ was found out by the Finch military.” He shot Mark with a cold stare.

“Wait,” Jack rose, igoning that the other man clearly wasn’t talking to him. “When did the memo come through?” _If it just came in, it could mean that the East base is still functioning!_ Jack thought.

Shao Yun waved Jack off and continued to talk. “You three worked the closest to those plans. I need you to be the ones to make a counter weapon and a copy of the plans for our own reference.”

Mark nodded solemnly, plans seemingly already forming in his head.

“We have a workspace set up for you, when you’re ready.”

Jack watched Shao Yun with narrowed eyes as he walked away. He was much colder than his sister.

_Shao Ai_ , he remembered _, could still be alive!_ He smiled at the assurance.

 

Most workers at the South base did not live on site. There _was_ a bunk room, filled with those working too late to go home and those with no home to go to. People slept on the floor, two to a bed, under the bunks. The room was dimly lit by a bare bulb in the center of the ceiling. A bottom bunk and the space around it had been cleared for them.

“Mark’s injured, so he can get the bunk,” Bob reasoned.

Jack called the area below because no one would step on him. He took off his jacket and rolled it into a pillow, stuffing it beneath his head. Jack fell asleep quickly, his breath slowing within minutes of closing his eyes.

 

_Wheat surrounded him, tall stalks towering above him. They waved in the breeze, occasionally blocking the sun and sending streaks of shadows across him. At first Jack wondered when he got so small, but it only took him a moment to realize he was on his back. He couldn’t move, seemingly strapped to the ground staring at the sky._

_When he finally did move, it was not autonomous. He felt like a marionette being stood up on someone else’s accord. The puppeteer walked Jack through the field, this time towards the forest. Jack strained against the invisible will; he wanted to go home, not into the forest that terrified him during his childhood._

_In one final act of defiance, Jack threw out his hand and—_

 

Jack attempted to sit up, forgetting he was under the bed. His forehead collided with the wire mesh that held the mattress and he let out a groan of pain.

Footsteps signaled that someone had entered the room. “Jack McLoughlin?” The voice called out, hushed.

Jack stuck his head out and waved.

“Tha’s me.”

He grabbed his jacket and pulled himself out from beneath the bed. He stepped carefully between the sleeping bodies, pausing to look at Mark’s sleeping face, behind which sat a brain that could create weapons to destroy the Finch military. Jack found it funny, that such a peaceful man could do so much damage.

The girl Jack had trained with years ago stood at the foot of the bunk opposite to the one he’d slept under. She wore a new jacket with the South base insignia on it, above a clipped on nametag reading _S. Nabokov_. It hung loose on her tiny frame, a few sizes too large.

_Nabokov_. Jack committed it to memory.

Nabokov motioned impatiently for Jack to follow her. They left the bunk room and began walking down the stairs to the first floor.

“Shao Yun said you wanted to come back to the East base,” Nabokov said.

“Yeah?”

“Well, we’re leaving now.”

“You too?”

Nabokov stopped and spun around to glare at Jack. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean? Do you think I’m too _small_ to do it? Too _weak_?” She spat. Jack tensed, stepping back. “I have _friends_ in there, _family_ , and no way in _hell_ am I letting _you_ be the one to save them.”

Jack stood in stunned silence as the tiny girl walked on. After a second, he hurried after her.

 

The helicopter they were taking could hold many more people than the one Jack had taken back from the East base, and it had windows. Jack happily took a seat _away_ from the windows, across from Nabokov, who was introducing herself to the huge muscled man next to her with a smile. More CI people filled the chopper quickly.

Soon they were in the air. This helicopter was much faster than the one Jack had taken back from the east base. They flew over the city, smoke and steam rising from the overcrowded buildings visible outside of the windows. The smog lifted as they reached the suburbs, farmlands. After two hours or so, a second city came into sight. The chopper passed it to the west. They were nearing the base.

Everyone fell silent as they neared, the people sitting by the windows watching with hope to see something good.

The helicopter descended into a clearing. As soon as the chopper landed, the doors were opened and everyone got out. Not much had changed from what Jack could see, but he tried to remain optimistic. Nabokov rushed to the front of the crowd, looking for whoever was leading the earlier party. A large group stood around the place where the stairs were blocked, one man holding a useless jackhammer.

Jack moved closer to the crowd. “Found a way to move the debris yet?” Jack queried a middle aged woman who stood on the sidelines. Jack recognized her, a clerk who worked at the weaponry room.

She shook her head solemnly. “No. There’s one huge piece of concrete in the way. We heard shouts earlier.”

“Did they say anything?”

“That the power cut out. Bombs musta hit the generator.”

_The second floor_. A shiver went down Jack’s spine. _More casualties down there_.

“How many men did you bring?” A tall, broad man called to Jack.

“Twenty eight.”

The man nodded, as though explaining something to himself. “I gotta talk to the pilots, but we might be able to move the concrete with the chopper.”

Everyone brightened at the thought.

 

High up in the South base, Mark sat facing a window, watching Jack’s helicopter fly off. He’d been woken moments after Jack had left and was escorted, along with Bob and Wade, to a sort of lab or design studio. They were already working, but Mark was refraining from talking too much. He only spoke up to correct a measurement or to ask for clarification. He fiddled with a pencil sized piece of steel. He’d finished a copy blueprint for the CI, but a good concept for a counter weapon still needed to be drawn up.

“Mark,” Wade said, giving him a stern look. “Come on, you gotta help.”

Reluctantly, Mark placed himself at the head of the long table Bob and Wade had already strewn with sketches and blueprints, small samples of material littered around the paper.

“Your plan might work, but you’d have to couple it with magnetic blocks to skew the honing mechanisms.” Mark grabbed a pencil and scribbled down a sketch. “Or here, look, we could ditch the magnets and _use_ the honing tech against them and catch the capsules midair.”

Mark fired off idea after idea, unsure of how to counter what he thought would one of the most useful assrts in warfare created in several years. The mess spread to the floor, the chairs, weak coffee staining the scraps of notes.

It was dark by the time they’d finished the basic plans.

 

Sturdy webbing and chains were wrapped around the largest chunk of concrete and was attached to the helicopters. People were already moving chunks of concrete away from the stairway, preparing for the largest one to move and open the exit. Jack stood with many others, preparing to push the concrete hunk away from the exit.

Nabokov, out of breath from sprinting from the helicopter who’s blades were just beginning to spin, slid into line next to Jack and yelled “push!”

Jack echoed her, louder. “Push!”

The chopper took off and the webbing tautened. With grunts and groans, the rubble began to move. It lifted and moved a few feet, exposing the stairwell to the daylight. Someone signaled for the helicopter to land and Jack knelt down to the hole as the sound of the blades dimmed.

“Hello!” Jack yelled down into the semidarkness.

He heard footsteps running up the stairs to the opening. Jack scrambled away as people began to climb out of the stairwell. Some ran towards the rescuers and took them into strong embraces, others lavished in the sun.

Felix climbed out and Jack gave him a happy wave to which he responded with a smile and a quick hug. Aaron climbed out seconds later, breathing in the sunlight as if it would disappear at any moment.

Jack watched the faces exiting the ruined base, looking closely for one in particular.  There she was! Helping another girl out of the hole stood Shao Ai. Jack ran to her, pulling her away and kissing her. It was a sloppy and onesided kiss that ended abruptly with a slap.

"What the _hell_ was that?” She spat at Jack, obviously hurt.

Jack cringed, moving to put a hand on her shoulder.

“ _NO_. Get away from me!”

“Shao Ai— look, I’m sorry!” Jack pleaded.

“Shut the _fuck up_ , McLoughlin,” Shao Ai said, her voice loud, close to a scream. “Don’t _ever_ touch me again! I hate you.”

Jack backed away, turning away before Shao Ai could notice the hot tears pricking at his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry.  
> Next chapter is a little bit happier. Not really. I lied.  
> Comments are always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are amazing!


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